Ham Tyler after the Series
by Cassandra Houston
Summary: These are my Ham Tyler Fan Fics (from the TV Movie and Series
1. Chicago

DISCLAIMER: Some of the Characters belong to me (Gem, Vincent, etc). Ham Tyler, Chris Faber, etc (You'll know who they are) do not belong to me. They belong to yada yada yada. Don't sue me; I'm only trying to have some fun.  
  
  
  
  
1 Chicago  
  
  
Ham Tyler liked Chicago. There was something about its citizens. The Great Chicago Fire. The Great Chicago Flood. The Great Chicago Resistance. When the Visitors destroyed their famous Water Tower, the Citizens replaced it with a plaque that read, "Survived a Cow. Destroyed by a Lizard". Their Mayor had been assassinated publicly in retribution. Showed how dumb the Visitors were about Chicagoans. The Mayor had been a Republican. The resulting celebration lasted six months.  
  
He was supposed to meet his contact at a major shindig hosted by the new mayor. Both a Democrat and a Resistance fighter of old, although he kept this well hidden from the Visitors, he had managed to stay in office using old-fashioned Chicago-style politics to thwart the Visitors.  
  
Tyler looked around the Grand Ballroom trying to spot his contact. John Davenport, the leader of the Chicago Resistance, told him he'd be in for a surprise. John and Tyler never did get along and the last meeting they had didn't help. He assigned someone to watch over Robin Maxwell, gave Tyler and Chris another assignment. Tyler was supposed to meet the contact and Davenport would meet them the next morning in a park on the south side. When Tyler asked about the name of this contact Davenport somehow managed to scowl and grin nastily as he said, "Hell, no I'm not giving you any names. It's a woman. You'll know her when you see her. Cope, Tyler." Tyler hated surprises and John knew it. The fucker.  
  
There were many beautiful women here. The one who caught his eye was talking to a Visitor and smiling a smile bright enough to catch Tyler's attention, and he wasn't one to look at things like that. She had light brown skin and very long, slightly wavy black hair. Her dress was long and the skirt full and a beautiful emerald green. He couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked. She was still there, but the Visitor was walking away from her and she was now looking in his direction. She looked equally as unbelieving as Tyler felt.  
  
He descended the winding stair and crossed the room to her. As he approached he noticed the necklace she was wearing. A chain with a single carat diamond broach rested in the hollow of her throat. He remembered that broach. He gave it to her the last morning he had seen her. Just before the Visitors came. Four years ago.   
  
She glanced in his direction. Her eyebrows rose, exposing green eyes. He raised his glass to her. She gave him half a smile as he reached her side.  
  
She turned and walked outside. Snow was falling and it was definitely cold. She walked to the stone railing and turned to face Tyler.  
  
"Clarence." She said. Her face was a mask.  
  
"Diamond." He replied. "I mean," he corrected "Gem."  
  
She shook her head and grinned. "I'm going to kill John. He told me to expect a surprise. He should have said shock." She snorted. She glanced at the doors. Tyler could see an outline coming toward them. Gem opened her purse. The Visitor she'd been talking with came out to join them. She took from her purse a flat, silver cigarette holder, opened it and removed a cigarette. "Scott." She purred, her smile back. "I'll take that light now."  
  
He produced a cigarette lighter and lit her cigarette for her. She inhaled and thanked him. Tyler noticed that her thumb flicked something before she snapped the case shut. Scott opened his mouth, most likely to ask Gem to introduce her companion.  
  
From somewhere inside and above them cane an explosion! Scott ran inside, where Pandemonium was reigning. "Let's go." She said, pitching the lit cigarette over the railing and going back inside.  
  
Tyler followed her back inside and along the wall. People were running and screaming. There was a very small fire going along the wall furthest from them. She led him through a narrow doorway and into a dark, narrow service hallway. At the end of the hallway was an elevator. She pressed the call button and the elevator doors opened almost immediately. They rode to the basement and went through a doorway into an alleyway. Behind a dumpster, she hopped on a motorcycle, snagged the keys from her cleavage, and said "Grab on!"  
  
Tyler got behind her on the motorcycle and held her waist tightly. She sped off, sliding in the ice as she whipped onto the street. She flew across the street and, taking the alleyways at breakneck speed, quickly put the ballroom behind them.  
  
She pulled over next to another dumpster. She got off of the motorcycle long enough to rip off her skirt. Underneath she was wearing black jeans. She shoved the skirt into the dumpster, hopped back on the motorcycle and sped off again.  
  
Tyler would have loved to see where he was being taken, but the wind whipped Gems long hair into his face. He decided he really didn't mind it all that much. They sped along for another twenty minutes before finally pulling under a wooden porch.  
  
Gem dismounted and headed up some stairs. Tyler got off the bike and followed her up to the top floor, the third floor. Gem produced another key from her cleavage and opened the door.  
  
They had entered the warm kitchen of an apartment. Gem walked over to a counter and lifted the top off of a slow cooker. "Mmmmmmmm." She breathed. "Plates are second cabinet from the left, silverware in the drawer by the sink. Help yourself. I'll be right back." And she disappeared into the next room.  
  
He suddenly realized he was starving. He filled two plates, got the silverware and set two places at the small kitchen table. He looked in the refrigerator and pulled out two cans of Pepsi. Back at the table, he dug into his own plate and was not surprised to discover that the food was very good. She was a great cook. Too.  
  
Gem came back when he was appetite was just getting satiated. She had kept the jeans, and changed into a black turtleneck. She looked at him from the door. "Good, you ate." She sat across from him.  
  
They finished eating and she put the dishes in the sink. She glanced at the clock over the sink and gave a little start. "Oops. Common, let's adjourn to watch the evening news, shall we." She grabbed a couple more Pepsi's from the fridge and disappeared again. This time Tyler followed her. He joined her in her living room. There wasn't much furniture here. There was a couch and a television, which Gem was turning on. She flipped through the channels until she hit the news. She sat next to Tyler and put her feet up on the dingy coffee table.  
  
"The Conrad-Hilton Hotel tonight was the target of a rebel bombing" a newswoman's voice announced. The film they were showing was of the top floors of the hotel they had been at, ablaze. "There are 10 confirmed dead and fifty-three injured and taken to area hospitals."  
  
Gem snorted laughter. "Fifty injured? Ten dead?" She looked over at Tyler. "Not bad for a smoke bomb, huh?" She jumped up and turned off the set. She turned around to face Tyler. "Davenport is a dead man when I see him tomorrow. He'll be pissed I set the bomb off early. Shock, I guess."  
  
Tyler took her in again. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache. "It's been a long time, Di ... Em ... I mean, Gem ... " he tripped over his words. "I missed you, Di." He said, feebly.  
  
Gem seemed to ignore him. "John's going to meet us in Hyde Park tomorrow." She looked over at him. "He'll tell us what our assignment is then." She paused. "If he lives. What did he tell you?" she asked.  
  
"Not a fucking thing. Told me my contact was female and I'd know her when I saw her. Said it would be a surprise. Now I know why he was laughing so hard when I left the office. Fucker." Tyler said, half a grin on his face. "I thought you might be here. If I'd known for a fact you were in Chicago ....."  
  
"You would have gone anywhere else?" She asked, her own half grin on her face.  
  
Tyler frowned. "No, it's not that." He sighed. "We left a lot unsaid four years ago, didn't we?"  
  
Gem rose and walked to the window. "Yea." She agreed. "Probably for the best, though. The Lizards landed. The war began. We had fun with each other. We shouldn't have let it get as far as it did. Better to have left it as it was."  
  
It didn't sound to Tyler like she meant what she was saying. His mind was reeling. He regretted few things in his life. He regretted leaving his wife and daughter to be killed in Saigon. And he regretted a morning four years ago, when the woman in front of him walked out the door and he did nothing to stop it.  
  
He made his decision. He rose and walked over to her. "Listen, if we're going to work together, I had better get a couple of things off my chest. Things I should have said four years ago and didn't." He saw Gem tense. "When I met my wife, I thought I was the luckiest man in the world. She loved and supported me, even though she didn't really understand me. When they were killed." He paused. "When Saigon fell and they were killed, I felt like I would never be warm again. I vowed I would never, ever let anyone in again. Never. A year later, they assigned you to me, and it wasn't long before another war started. Inside me. In six years it didn't get better, it got worse. Mostly because you were things my wife wasn't. She was my supporter. You are my equal. You understand me. You saved my life."  
  
He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. She did not resist. He looked into green eyes, brimming with tears he knew she would never allow to fall. "You will probably never know the guilt I felt. Six years of guilt. I loved you more than I loved my wife. My wife, who died waiting for me to come and save her. I feel guilty when I think that you would not have died. You would not have waited for me to come and rescue you. You would have fought. You would not have allowed them to kill my daughter. That you are all I could only dream my wife would be." He stared at the ceiling, fighting back tears, and rage. Silence filled the space. It was a full minute before Tyler spoke again.  
  
"I should have gotten over it. I should have asked you to marry me. I wanted to marry you every day since I first realized I was in love with you. I couldn't even say the words. I couldn't tell you that I loved you." He heaved another big sigh. This was hard! "Then you left and the Visitors came. Another war. I threw myself into it. Thought it would help me forget you. Forget everything. I realized you had to be working for the Network. It was you. Made for you. And me. You wouldn't be off somewhere trying to keep clear of trouble. I realized I was fighting two wars again. I came to terms with my feelings, thanks to Chris. I wanted to find you after the Liberation, but" here he paused. Had this been the real reason? "The money wasn't there. I tried to go legit, you know. Failed miserably," he said, grinning at the grin on Gem's face.  
  
"I couldn't stand it in LA anymore, so I left. I knew there was a good chance you were here. When I saw you tonight." He looked at her. "I need to tell you that I love you, my Diamond. I can understand if you don't feel the same anymore, but I need to tell you anyway. I love you. I've loved you for almost nine years now. And when this assignment is over I want to marry you."  
  
Gem blinked. For a full two minutes they just looked into each other's eyes. When Gem finally spoke, it was in a whisper, but the words were loud and clear to Ham Tyler.  
  
"I love you, too, Clarence." She said. "And you weren't alone in fighting a war against your feelings." She stepped towards him, their chests touching. "I couldn't say anything either, remember?"  
  
He kissed her and all was forgotten as they reunited.  
  
  
2 Hyde Park  
  
  
Dawn was breaking when they awoke. They quickly showered and dressed. They each took a light duffel bag and strapped it onto the back of the bike. "I get to drive this time," Tyler said.  
  
They were walking into the Medici on 57th forty-five minutes later. They ordered coffee to go and walked over to the park next to the William H. Ray elementary school and sat, waiting.  
  
Five minutes later, a tall man with full-length black trench coat walked up to them. When he got close enough, Tyler stood up and cold cocked him. The man fell to the ground.  
  
Gem rushed to the man's side. "John, are you OK?" she asked, voice full of concern. As she helped the man to his feet, she said "Goddammit, Tyler, what's your fucking problem?" She brushed off John's shoulders and coat. "Do it this way." And she hit John in the gut and followed with an uppercut that landed him flat on his back.  
  
Tyler nodded. "Good point." As the two of them watched John Davenport, leader of the Chicago Resistance and, in the opinion of both of them, overall asshole rolled on the ground, swearing and rubbing his chin.  
  
"Fuck both of you!" John snarled. "If I didn't need you two right now, I'd shoot you my damn self!"  
  
When John had gotten himself under control, he stood and began walking towards the Lake. "We have a big job that's right up your alley. The Lizards are working on some sort of antidote for the Red Dust. Intelligence tells us they have three full time plants operating in various warehouses around the city." John told them. They turned a corner and walked along the IC tracks.  
  
"You want the two of us to stop three plants from operating?" Gem said, dryly. All business.  
  
"No. I want the THREE of you to stop three plants from operating." He paused in front of a coffee house. He motioned to a large man inside, who rose and joined the group outside.  
  
"Chris Faber!" Gem exclaimed. Chris looked absolutely shocked to see Gem. They embraced. Chris looked from Tyler to Gem and back. He looked at Davenport. "Do I want to know?" He looked at Tyler. "This is your contact?"  
  
"No!" Davenport snapped. But Tyler said "I'll tell you later."  
  
"I knew you were coming and decided you didn't need to be babysitting Elizabeth and Robin Maxwell. I have something I actually need your skill in." John told them. "The only good news is that a third of the team I'm sending in is sane." John snorted.  
  
They all walked on, and eventually circled back to the park by the school. John nodded toward the Medici. "Matt is expecting you." He pulled out a thick manila envelope. "Here is the information on the factories. We don't care how you do it, just shut them down."  
  
Gem glanced up and caught a snowflake in the eye. "It's fucking snowing, Davenport. We're going to have to wait at least until it melts or gets blown away or turns into solid ice." She snorted "There's a nice thought, running from Lizards on solid ice."  
  
"Cope, Gem." Davenport snarled. He handed the paperwork to Tyler, and then stalked down the street.  
  
"Tell me everything!" Chris said, looking from Gem to Tyler. "I have never seen him so pissed off. This ought to be good."  
  
  
  
  
  
Two days later, they sat down in the Medici on 57th, which was a Resistance friendly coffee shop and restaurant. They were going over the papers Davenport had left with them.  
  
Tyler said "We'll hit this one first, then this one and last, this one" he pointed to locations on a map. "The only question is when?"  
  
Gem looked through the door as it opened. The snowstorm had ended, but it had left a foot of soft, fluffy, footprint catching snow on the ground. "The Hawk is out tonight." She said, catching the breeze from the door, even though they were seated in the back booth. "If this keeps up, the snow will be gone by the day after tomorrow. If we're lucky, the temperature will continue to fall and it won't snow again. We're going to need frozen ground without ice on it and definitely no mud."  
  
A short, stocky man with red hair and a red face approached the table. "Your order's here" he said, "I put it all in the basement for you, like you asked." He looked at the papers they were going over and cleared his throat. "Ummm, when exactly will you and your little friends be leaving?" he asked Gem, nervously.  
  
Gem grinned at him, "Why Matthew, don't you enjoy having me around?" she asked.  
  
"Trouble never fails to show up here when you are around." He said. "I suspect I'll have a fucking major ass problem on my hands with your little friends here to help you."  
  
Gem laughed, "Matthew," she purred. "Don't be silly. Your life will be fascinating with us around. Trust me." Her grin turned devilish.  
  
Matthew snorted. "The last time you were here, I had to remodel. I had to replace the front window when you threw that collaborator out of it."  
  
Gem shrugged. "I paid you back, didn't I?" Matthew nodded grudgingly. "And, I took care of that little problem for you. Two little problems, if memory serves. I've been pulling your ass out of the fire forever it seems."  
  
"The less your around, the less fire my ass seems to get into." Matthew snorted.  
  
"Relax, Matt." Gem said. "You'll live longer"  
  
"Fuck you, Gem." Matt said, grinning, and went back to his other customers.  
  
They got up, threw some money on the table and descended the back stairway into the basement. In a temperature-controlled storeroom, they found their boxes. Plenty of C4, plenty of fuses, plenty of ammo and just enough nitro. As requested. Each of them grabbed a box and they took them upstairs to Chris' little apartment. Chris immediately double checked the nitro and re-secured it.  
  
Now all they had to wait for was the weather.  
  
  
3 The Northwest Side  
  
  
The wind picked up and the bottom fell out of the temperature. The ground froze. By the end of four days time, the ground was bare and the cold was bitter.   
  
"The weather is perfect." Gem said as she braided her long hair. She secured the ends and began tucking her collection of emergency weapons into the braid. A couple of thin, narrow carbide saws, and a couple of carbide blades.  
  
"For Lizards" Tyler growled. He was double-checking his weapons.   
  
Chris finished packing their bags. "Everybody ready." He said, as he checked his watch. Seven thirty. It wasn't exactly a question. They grabbed the bags and left the apartment. In the alley, a van awaited and they were off.  
  
The factory had been abandoned for quite some time, even before the Visitors arrived. It had been quite small, as factories go, and that was one of the reasons Tyler had chosen it as the first target. The other was that when he and Chris checked the place out, they discovered that this was the main place where the research was being done on the antidote. The building had two stories and took up half a city block.  
  
They parked five blocks away on a residential street and walked in. They cut through the fence and worked their way around. The place had about twenty Lizards inside, but there were only four posted at the front gate and no one was walking the perimeter of the building. There was a window in a storeroom in the back that had a broken lock. That was to be their entry point.  
  
Gem went to the door and slowly opened it the width of her eye. The hallway was deserted. She slipped out of the door and turned left. Tyler turned right and turned down a hallway. Chris followed Tyler until the hallway turned, and Chris turned with it.  
  
The plan was to plant six charges in strategic places on the ground floor and get out of there. The building was so old and run down that would be more than enough to completely destroy the building and everyone inside of it. The charges were on a timer, which would be set for ten minutes. They didn't have a lot of time.  
  
Chris made it back first. He slipped into the room, and slipped behind a large box. He checked his watch. The door opened and Gem slipped in. Before the door closed, Tyler caught it. The three of them left the way they came and walked quickly down the street. They crossed when the light turned green and were half a block from the van when the bombs started going off. They got in the van quickly and drove in the opposite directions of the blast.  
  
They made it back to the Medici before the midnight curfew. Gem sat on the couch of their temporary apartment and removed the carbide from her braid. "One down and two to go." She said.  
  
Ham was putting the guns away. "That was the easiest one. Lucky four years apart didn't hurt us as a team. The other two will be harder though."  
  
Gem nodded. "Yea. I think it's time for me to call in a few favors." She said. "That factory was the smallest and the easiest, without question."  
  
Chris flipped on the television. The factory bombing lead the news. The film was showing that they had indeed completely destroyed the factory. The building went up like a tinderbox and collapsed. The newswoman said that there were no leads on who set the bomb, but of course local rebels were suspected.  
  
Gem went into her bag and pulled out a cell phone. She punched in a number and flopped on the couch next to Tyler.  
  
"Gimmie Vincent" she said. "Vincent" she purred after a pause. "Emerald. Yes, it has. Yea, I know. I've been here and there. Yourself?" She leaned against Tyler. "Really? That's wonderful! About time! Listen Vincent, I need to see you." She glanced up at Tyler. "Tomorrow?" Tyler looked at Chris and then nodded. "That'd be great. We'll be there. Three of us. Thanks, Vincent. Ciao." She disconnected.  
  
She spoke to Chris and Tyler. "Tomorrow at noon we're going out for lunch. Better not eat until then. Vincent's partner is famous for overfeeding strays."  
  
Chris stretched. "I think I'm going to see if I can find out what really happened. Can't trust the collaborators news." He said, heading for the door. "I'll just let you know what I find out in the morning. It's good to see you two together again." He said, closing the door behind him.  
  
  
4 Vincent Bittetto  
  
  
The Bacchanalia was smack dab in the middle of Little Italy. The owner was Vincent Bitetto. For that matter, the owner had been Vincent Bitetto since before Capone came to Chicago. The Vincent Bitetto Gem, Tyler and Chris were going to see was 5th generation Bittetto in Chicago. The food was the best in Little Italy, and some said it was the best in Chicago. Chris parked the Cadillac in the back and they walked around and used the front door.  
  
The place was packed, but relatively quiet. The host, a young Italian with a thin mustache said, "Welcome to Vincent's."  
  
Gem ignored him, looking around him. A short, stocky Italian sitting at a table nearby looked up and saw her. He rose immediately. "I'll take care of this Mikey". He motioned for them to follow. They followed him through the restaurant, through the kitchen and down a flight of stairs. Through a storeroom they were led through a door marked 'Private' and into a private dining room. Seated at a table was a stocky man with slightly graying hair. He looked up when the door opened and said. "Thank you, Tony."  
  
When the door closed behind Tony, the large man stood up. "Emerald!" he boomed, crossing the room swiftly. He grabbed her shoulders and planted a kiss on each cheek. "Look at you. Marco will be scolding you."  
  
He looked at Tyler and Chris. In Italian, she said something, which caused Vincent's eyebrows to rise. He came back with a spate of Italian, which Tyler and Chris did not understand. He glared at Tyler who returned the glare with equal venom. Vincent looked at Gem again and she returned with something in Italian, which didn't seem to satisfy Vincent.  
  
"Vincent," Gem sighed, switching to English. "Be happy for me, huh? Look at me. Really, look at me."  
  
Vincent did. He looked her up and down twice and finally looked into her eyes for a very long time.   
  
He turned to Tyler. "You love her?" he asked.  
  
Tyler answered honestly. "Yes."  
  
He suddenly smiled and laughed a great, booming laugh. He turned to Tyler and grabbed his hand, shaking it heartily.   
  
"Welcome to the Family, Mr. Tyler." He boomed. He lowered his voice and the warmth went out of his smile. "You hurt her, you die." Tyler, wisely Gem thought, simply nodded.  
  
Just then a muscular man entered through another door wheeling a cart brimming with food and drink. "Emerald!" he cried. Hhe kissed her. "You are so thin. You aren't eating on the run all the time? Come, come, sit and eat."   
  
"Marco" Gem said, returning the kisses.  
  
Marco bustled them all around the table. "Emerald, you are fairly glowing. What has you looking so good?" His mate answered him in Italian and his jaw dropped. He looked at Tyler as if seeing him for the first time. He looked at Gem and they exchanged words in Italian. Marco's full of concern and Gem's full of comfort. Chris thought he had never seen Gem look at anyone with as much love and tenderness, except Tyler, and that was years ago and usually when they didn't think anyone would notice.  
  
Soon enough, Marco looked at Tyler again. She walked over to him, turned him so they were face to face and kissed both his cheeks. Tyler looked quite taken aback. Marco then turned and left the room without another word.  
  
Their lunch was filled with Vincent reminiscing about Gem's childhood. "Her father, God rest his soul, never had any but Emerald. She was such a beautiful child. But tough!" He said, pointing a meatball at her. "Very tough. We brought her into the Family when she was, what was it Emerald, eleven?"  
  
"Ten" Gem said, not seeming to be paying attention to the conversation.  
  
"Yes, ten." Vincent went on. "She got expelled from school for beating up the school bully. Called her some name. What was it, Emerald?"  
  
"Half-Breed"  
  
Vincent snorted. "Yes! I remember now! Emerald put him in the hospital for a month! How could we not bring her in with us? She was there when the Giradis shot down her father. What a mess that was. She came to live with Marco and me than. She left for the Army when she was fifteen. We were not very pleased, but I know it is what she wanted, so we provided her papers."  
  
Tyler remembered those 'papers'. When he found himself falling in love with Gem, he also discovered she had joined the Army when she was just fifteen years old. He reported her as having forged papers and being underage. The Agency didn't care and it hardly mattered because Vincent and Marco were the best forgery artists in the Midwest US. The papers came back absolutely clean.   
  
"But look how she turned out!" Vincent said, looking admiringly at his niece. "Beautiful. Toughest woman I have ever known. But considerate? Never! She disappeared for many years. Didn't call, didn't write. She would show up maybe once or twice a year. We were glad to see her alive. Then she disappears again and we don't hear from her until those damn Lizards showed up."  
  
The lunch seemed to be over. Marco reappeared at any rate and cleared the table. Vincent took an Indonesian clove cigarette and lit it. He offered one to Gem and she refused.  
  
Vincent looked at his guests. "So yesterday I get a call from my Emerald and today she shows up with two strangers." He rolled his eyes heavenward. He seemed to be praying. "What else can happen?" He returned his gaze to his niece. "So, what do you need, Emerald?"  
  
Gem turned serious. "Tell me about that plant off of Taylor."  
  
Vincent raised his eyebrows. "Lizards are using it to experiment on their own." He said. "They have been trying to develop a permanent antidote for the Red Dust. Best they have been able to come up with is that fuckin pill they take. Lasts 44 hours. They want some sort of shot, immunization, whatever, so they don't have to keep popping pills." He shook his head. "They experiment on their own kind there. Top secret. Karen, who is the head Lizard in these parts, is keeping it from her own people. Doesn't want a revolt is my guess. Fuckers."  
  
Chris spoke up. "Any idea how the place is set up?" he asked.  
  
Vincent was looking intrigued. "It's three stories, plus a basement. Concrete and steel. Solid as a fucking rock." He looked from Chris, to Tyler and settled on Gem. "You?" he asked. "You blew up that place on the North Side last night."  
  
Gem's face remained impassive and she said nothing.  
  
"OK." Vincent said, nodding. "If it was you, you'd want to hit this place next. You'd want to know that there are two stairways on each end of the building. The building is shaped like the letter "H"." He got up and crossed to a desk in the back of the room. He got a piece of paper and a pencil and drew something on the paper. He returned to the table. He had drawn a model of the building on the paper.  
  
"At the top and bottom of the "H" are where the stairs are." He said. "There are no windows in the building at all. They cemented them up when they moved in. The place is guarded electronically. Alarms on both doors leading into the building." He took a sip of water. "If somebody wanted to, say, get in undetected, they would want to go in through the basement. You can get in there using the old underground tunnels from the University."  
  
"What about the basement?" Gem asked, face remaining a mask. "There aren't any alarms in the basement?"  
  
"No." Vincent replied. "The door was boarded up long before the Visitors even came here. I'm willing to bet they haven't touched it. I'll have someone double-check it though. Prepare it for your arrival. I mean, I would if you were going to hit the joint. They use it as the storeroom for all the stuff they use to make their antidote. They're offices on the first floor and the second and third floors are where the experimentations take place. If someone was looking to, say, fuck up their plans, they wouldn't have to look any farther than the basement."  
  
"Fire?" Tyler asked.  
  
"The place would go up like a fucking torch. Fuck with the doors somehow and no one could get out except through that tunnel, and, like I said, they don't know it exists." Vincent said, with a smile.  
  
"Security?" Chris asked.  
  
"Human and Lizard." Vincent told them. "Four guards each at the entrance to the parking lots."  
  
"Eight." Gem said, mostly to herself.  
  
"Someone who knew something like, poisons..." Vincent said, casually.  
  
Gem was nodding. "Vincent, it has been wonderful seeing you again." She said, rising from the table. "I'll try to keep in touch, but...." She took the piece of paper Vincent had been writing on and set it afire using the lit candles on the table. She set it Vincent's enormous ashtray, where it burned into nothing.  
  
"I know, I know." Vincent said. "You should have stayed in the Mafia. It's safer. You'd be with family."  
  
Gem smiled, and kissed Vincent on both cheeks. "Tell Auntie Marco I said so long." She said, as the three of them left.  
  
Once the door closed behind them, Vincent called Marco in for a conference.  
  
  
  
In the parking lot, gem motioned for Chris to give her the keys to the Caddy. She drove them around the block where the factory was located. Sure enough, there were four guards at each gate. Two humans and two lizards.  
  
On the drive back to the Medici, Gem said. "I'm going to have to make a little cocktail for those guards." She mused. "North gate. South Gate. Shit!" she sounded slightly frustrated. "Only one of us can go in. The other two will have to keep an eye on the guards, make sure they don't come round and watch for passersby's."  
  
"I'll go in," Tyler said. "You and Chris take the guards."  
  
"What about the doors?" Chris mused.  
  
"The weather is getting colder." Gem said. "The power lines may just freeze and break. This is the coldest winter in a long time. They probably have a backup, though. Vincent said electric, but he probably meant computerized, if those panels are any indication. Anyway it goes they are probably easy enough to short out, if you use the right caliber." She grinned to herself.  
  
Chris grinned at Gem through the rearview mirror. "Probably. You got any ideas on getting rid of the guards?"  
  
"A couple." Gem said. She pulled the Caddy over and parked. They were now in Chinatown. She opened the door. "I'll be right back."  
  
Tyler and Chris discussed ways to burn the basement out while they waited for Gem to return. She came back twenty minutes later with a large paper bag. She threw it on the seat between her and Tyler and climbed back in the car. "Got it." She said, while Chris drove off.  
  
Back in their apartment over the Medici, she emptied the contents onto the coffee table. She had purchased a box of surgical gloves, a mortar and pestle and several herbs. She stared at the herbs a moment before she put on a pair of gloves, tossed some into the mortar and began grinding it into a pulp with the pestle.  
  
Tyler went into the bedroom to look for silencers, while Chris went down the hall to his apartment to get some supplies of his own. Tyler came back to watch Gem work. "We're going to need a couple of tranquilizer guns." She told him, without looking up from what she was doing. "We'll fire darts into the guards and passerby's if we have to. We're going to need communication equipment, so we can let you know when the guards are down and the alarms shorted."  
  
Tyler nodded. A knock sounded at the door and Tyler let Chris back in. He had his duffel with him. "I need two sniper rifles." He said. "I think that's the best bet in taking out the doors."  
  
Tyler told Chris what Gem told him. Chris nodded. "We can get that stuff tonight." He watched Gem for a moment, and then said, "When do you want to do this, Gem?"  
  
Gem glanced up from her work. "This will take 24 hours before it's ready to go." She said. "Tomorrow night, if we can get everything we need by then." She looked at Tyler. "You know how you're going to start the fire?" She asked hypothetically.  
  
Tyler nodded. "C4. I don't want to be in there forever pouring gasoline all over everything, so I'll use a torch. The explosion will bring the first floor down and block the entrance to the tunnel and maybe collapse the stairwell. I'll set six charges for ten minutes and get the hell out of there. Even if the explosion blows out the fire, they'll be digging Lizards out of the rubble for the next two months and they won't be able to use the building again."  
  
Gem and Chris nodded. Gem bent over the mortar again, and Tyler and Chris left to get the rest of the equipment they would need.  
  
They returned three hours later with the four rifles and several tranquilizer darts. They found Gem in the kitchen. She poured the elixir she had created while they were gone into a dozen of the darts. The apartment smelled horrible.  
  
Chris made a face. "What is that?" he asked. He had a mistrust of anything he didn't fully understand, and Gem's knowledge of herbs always made him jumpy. But he trusted her with his life, even after four years apart and so his anxiety was minimal.  
  
"A quaint little mixture I created about three years ago." She said, not looking up. "It will knock them out immediately. Works on humans and Lizards, both. If no one figures out what actually happened to them, they will really die in seventy-two hours." She used her elbow to point to the counter behind her. There were two coffee cups there. "That's the antidote. It's a very strong concoction and it tastes like something off of a compost heap, but once you take it, you're protected from the poison for thirty-six hours." She finished scraping the excess pulp away, and stood. "Drink it now and don't touch this stuff for at least an hour."   
  
Tyler and Chris drank. Gem was understating when she said it tasted horrible. Tyler drained his cup, made a face.  
  
  
"Vincent called. He set up an entrance for you," she told Tyler what Vincent told her. Tyler nodded.  
  
Gem cleaned up the kitchen thoroughly while Tyler and Chris went into the next room to finalize plans. Tyler would bring Gem up to speed later. When she was done, she heaved a massive sigh and joined the men in the next room.  
  
Chris left an hour later. Tyler went into the bedroom to lay down. He closed his eyes and called Gem to him.  
  
Gem lay beside him. "Feel ok?" she asked.  
  
"I haven't felt this good in years. Four years." He said.  
  
  
  
  
  
The turning of the doorknob woke them at the same instant. They were alert at once. Tyler grabbed his gun and Gem took her knife out of its sheath. The door opened and footsteps approached the closed bedroom door. Tyler and Gem both tensed, but didn't move. They fell back, relieved when the door swung open to reveal Chris.  
  
He smirked at them. "Up a bit late last night?" he asked, innocently. The smile disappeared when Gem made to throw her knife at him. "I'll just wait out here." He said quickly.  
  
Five minutes later, when Tyler had thrown on a pair of pants and Gem had thrown on Tyler's shirt, Chris said "It's three o'clock." He mused, grinning again. "I haven't known Tyler to sleep that late in. Well, in about four or five years."  
  
Tyler and Gem ignored him. They sent Chris downstairs with orders to order them coffee, while they showered and changed clothes. They then went into the Medici for coffee and food. Chris told them they now had a pickup truck and he had everything in it and ready to go.  
  
They drank coffee and talked about nothing in particular until ten o'clock. Then they double checked the pickup and headed back to Little Italy. They parked several blocks from their target and walked together to the corner. They'd put their headsets under their hats. Gem turned left and crossed the street, Tyler walked straight across the street and Chris turned right.  
  
Tyler ducked into an alley half a block away from the plant. He ducked behind a dumpster and opened a window Vincent's men had arranged to be unlocked. He was in the basement of a restaurant. To his left he saw boxes had been recently moved to reveal a door. He went through the door into a dark concrete tunnel. He followed the tunnel west until he came to a door that was boarded. The wood was rotting and he easily pulled down the planks. He looked at the door beyond and tested the knob. Unlocked. "I'm in position." He said into the headset.  
  
"Roger." Chris answered.  
  
"Acknowledged." Said Gem.  
  
Tyler backed up without opening the door. He leaned against a wall and waited. He figured Gem and Chris should be letting them know their progress soon when he heard.  
  
"OK, Chris. You in position?" It was Gem.  
  
"Yea." Chris came back.  
  
"Aim for the soft armor. The poison will inject on impact." She said. "Try not to miss." She said.  
  
Tyler heard Chris snort. "Yea, right."  
  
"One" he heard Gem say. A second later. "Two, three, four. Ouch, that had to hurt."  
  
"Eight down. Now the doors." Chris was saying.  
  
"Well, looks like Lady Luck is with us tonight." He heard Gem. "The power just went out."  
  
"Frozen line just fell a block from here" Chris said. He must have been in a position to see power lines. "Power's out for three blocks."  
  
"Perfect." Gem said. "Let's take out the switches in sixty, give their backup generator a chance to kick in. Ham?"  
  
Ham listened carefully. He heard the backup generator kick in. "The generator kicked in. I'm headed in now." He announced.   
  
He opened the door. He was in a large storeroom. There were pillars, but no walls here. There were large boxes everywhere. He hurried into the furthest corner and quickly planted the charges and set the timers for five minutes, working his way back to the door to the tunnel while carefully pouring accelerant along his path. He turned in the open doorway and lit the torch. The room ignited. He glanced up the hallway. "I'm outta here."  
  
He'd worked his way back out of the restaurant's window and back the way he had come. He waited at the corner until he saw Gem and Chris and crossed the street to meet them.   
  
"That's two down." Gem was saying, as they ducked into the alley where their truck was parked. The explosion rocked them where they stood. They hopped into the truck and headed back to Hyde Park. They took the scenic route and didn't get back to the Medici until after curfew.  
  
5. Off to Davenport  
  
Marco was pacing the alleyway when they got back. Gem frowned as she got out of the truck. "Marco?" she said. What are you doing out here at one o'clock in the morning?" She approached him and got a good look at his face. She wrapped her arm around him and led him upstairs to her apartment.  
  
Marco was crying. He cried from the moment he set eyes on Gem until they got upstairs and he was handed a cup of instant coffee Gem hastily made in the kitchen. "Marco. Calm down." Gem told him.  
  
Marco grabbed Gem's hand. "It's Vincent." He sniffed. "They. They." And he started crying again.  
  
Gem pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to be patient with Marco. "Marco. What about Vincent." She asked. "Take your time."  
  
"An hour after the explosion, the police came. Oh Gem, it was horrible." He said. Gem forced the cup of coffee into his hands, as it looked like he was going to break down again. He drank, took a deep breath and continued. "I was in the kitchen. The police came, with Visitors. They started saying that he blew up that place and that it was the last time he was going to mess with them." Marco drank the cup dry. "They killed everyone, Gem. They killed everyone there. I was in the kitchen and I hid. Vincent always said I was a coward."  
  
Gem closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Oh Marco. I'm so sorry."  
  
"I don't know what to do." Marco said. I waited until I knew they were all gone. I remember Vincent saying you would probably be here. He told me, after you left, that the police would probably blame him and if anything happened to him I was to come find you. I took a cab. That guy, Matt, he said I could wait for you in the back, because he was closing. So I went in the alley and waited for you." He started crying again.  
  
Gem reached around and behind Matt and grabbed her duffel bag. From inside it she pulled a small bottle of pills. She shook one out and handed it to Marco. "Take this." She said, motioning for Chris to get some water.  
  
"I don't do drugs, Gem, you know that." Marco sniffed.  
  
Gem insisted, and Marco took the pill. "Go in the bedroom and lay down" Gem told him. "We'll talk later, OK?". Marco nodded and went into the bedroom. Tyler closed the door after him.  
  
"Shit, shit, shit!" Gem growled, getting up and beginning to pace. "We needed him." She snarled. "Fuck!" she flopped down in the room's one chair, but immediately hopped up and began pacing again.  
  
Chris and Tyler watched her pace, silently. They hadn't known Vincent and they weren't sure exactly what to say.  
  
It took Gem the better part of forty-five minutes to calm down enough to stop pacing. She flopped back on the couch as the cell phone inside started ringing. She grabbed it and barked "What?"  
  
"Excuse me?" she said, sitting bolt upright and looking livid. "Done? We're not done, Davenport. What? How the fuck .... Fine. Fine. Fuck you too, John." She killed the connection and threw the phone back in her bag.  
  
"Get your stuff Chris and met us back here in five minutes. Davenports pulled the plug. Fucker." She glared at the bag as if daring it to ring.  
  
"What?" Chris said, but he was headed for the door. Gem paced again, until Chris came back in less that the five minutes. "What the hell is going on, Gem?"  
  
Gem didn't answer. She tossed the bags Tyler had packed to Tyler, then went into the bedroom. She emerged carrying Marco in a Fireman's Carry. "Let's get the hell out of here.'  
  
Back in the alley, she broke into Matt's black van. She dumped Marco inside and Tyler threw the bags in after him. They got in and Gem disappeared under the dashboard. The engine began almost at once and she pulled out of the alley. She saw police cars pull up to the Medici. She hit Lake Shore Drive and headed north then hit the expressway. They were heading west, out of the city.  
  
Gem leaned over Tyler and opened the glove compartment. She grabbed half a pack of cigarettes, lit one and blew smoke. "Someone set us up." She finally said. "Someone set us up."  
  
"What?" Chris said from his position on the floor in the back.  
  
"Davenport said the Visitors were going to raid the Medici. They knew we bombed the factory and that we were fired and get the fuck out of town." Gem said, furious. "He says Intelligence tells him that the third factory hasn't started production yet and it would have been a waste of time blowing the place." She finished the cigarette and stamped it out under her foot. "He says by morning there will be a ten million dollar bounty on our collective head." She was past O'Hare now, and she finally slowed down. There was little other traffic, and no cops in sight, but she had finally calmed down enough not to push things.  
  
"Who?' She mused, after they had fumed silently for an hour.  
  
"What about your little faggot friend in the back?" Tyler suggested.  
  
"Marco? No way. He has tried to keep out of the whole mess. I've known him a long time. He would never do anything to put Vincent in danger, for one. Vincent never told him anything to begin with, for another. No, it wasn't Marco."  
  
"Davenport?" Chris volunteered.  
  
"Maybe." Tyler said. "But I think after our last meeting with him, he wouldn't have bothered to call and tell us to get out of town. He would have driven the Lizards right to the Med and handed us over with his blessings."  
  
Gem nodded, lighting another cigarette. "Where to, boys?" She asked.  
  
"Davenport, Iowa." Chris said, almost immediately.  
  
"There aren't any Visitors in Iowa, are there?" Tyler mused.  
  
"I don't think so, not really." Gem grinned. "It'll take us another couple of hours to get there. You guys get some sleep. I'll drive.  
  
Both men were asleep within ten minutes. They're training taught them to sleep when they could, regardless of the goings on around them. Gem fumed and drove into Davenport.  
  
Tyler woke at a light touch from Gem's hand on his arm. He sighed and looked around. They were in the Parking lot of Garvey's Motel, hourly Rates. She drove around to the back of the hotel and parked.  
  
They woke Chris and he carried Marco into the room Gem rented. Chris dropped him on the nearest of the two queen sized beds. "What did you give this guy?" he asked.  
  
"Powerful sleeping pill." He'll snap out of it by morning. Chris looked like he seriously doubted it, but he said "You're the expert, but he's out of it."  
  
He stopped in the bathroom and came out with water on his face. "You sleep. I'll get rid of the van. How long did you rent this room for?"  
  
"We have to be out of here by noon. It's about four-thirty now." She said. "Marco will be awake by then. We'll figure something out then." She lay on the other bed and was asleep before Chris closed the door.  
  
When she woke at six-thirty, she saw Tyler watching the news. The story of the bombing made it all the way across the state. There was a citywide manhunt going on. They found the pickup truck behind the Medici and interviewed Matt.  
  
"There were three of them." Matt lied, reliably. "Two black guys and a white guy. They said they were going to Pennsylvania after they left here. I think they were Rebels," he said, looking truly shocked and offended that Rebels would darken his establishment. The reporter said police between Illinois and Pennsylvania were on the alert. Which meant they were not being searched for westward.  
  
"Good ol Matt," Gem chuckled. Tyler looked over his shoulder at her, then got up and lay beside her. "You're awake." He said.  
  
Gem nodded. "I see Marco's still out." She said, glancing over to the other bed, where Marco still lay exactly where Chris dropped him.  
  
"Hasn't moved a muscle." Tyler said. "Whatever you gave him sure knocked him out."  
  
"Marco hasn't so much as smoked a cigarette or had a glass of wine since before I joined the Army. I should have thought of that before I gave him the pill. I'll have to snap him out of it if he doesn't wake up by the time Chris gets back."  
  
Chris returned by eight thirty. He'd managed to find some old biker buddies of his in the area, who had taken care of the van for him. He found a gray van to replace it. He brought them coffee and doughnuts. Tyler filled him in on the news and Chris was pleased.  
  
Gem saved a cup of coffee and a couple of doughnuts for Marco, then leaned over him and slapped him lightly on both cheeks. No response. She sighed, impatient, then hauled off and slapped him sharply. He snapped awake.  
  
"Where am I?" he asked, confused. Gem handed him a cup of coffee, which he took gratefully. Gem explained what had happened after he took the pill. "I'm a fugitive?" he said, with such amazement that Tyler, Gem and Chris had to laugh at him.  
  
"It's not such a hard life Marco." Tyler said, still laughing. "You get used to it after a while."  
  
Chris drove this time. He said his biker buddies had a place they could stay for a day or so. He took them to the outskirts of Davenport into farm country. He drove an hour before pulling onto a dirt road and another twenty minutes before approaching a farmhouse.  
  
Three men came out of the barn, two hundred feet from the main house. They were all biker types. Long hair and long beards. Motorcycles were parked everywhere. Chris made introductions all around. The leader was called simply Spike. Spike took them to the barn, where Gem was surprised to find Matt's Van. Stripped to the chassis and the pieces nowhere to be found. They were then taken to the house and introduced to Rose, who was a large woman with dark hair who was cooking a large breakfast for them.  
  
Over coffee afterwards, Chris asked Spike. "Is the Rev still around?"  
  
"Sure, he should be here in a minute or so, matter of fact. He just went into town to take care of a thing or two." Spike said. "Why?"  
  
"Remember that conversation we had a couple of years back, when the shit really hit the fan about Gem?" Chris asked Tyler.  
  
"Yea." Tyler said slowly. "I remember."  
  
"Well?" Chris asked. "Rev could take care of you."  
  
Tyler stared at Chris for a moment, then nodded slowly. He turned to Gem. "I told you that I wanted to marry you when this assignment was over."  
  
Gem raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.  
  
"Davenport ended the assignment. It's over." Tyler said, slowly. He reached over and took Gem's hand in his. "Will you marry me?"  
  
Gem looked down at her hand in his, then into Tyler's eyes. She nodded as she said "Yes, I will."  
  
Rose laughed and began bustling around the kitchen. "Haven't had a decent party around her in a dogs age!" she was saying.  
  
The kitchen door opened and a tall, shinny man with hair as long as Gem's and a beard that came almost to his belt walked in. He looked at the smiling people gathered around the table, and was knocked a step back by Rose, as she bustled by, stirring something in a lemon yellow bowl. "What's goin on here?" he asked.  
  
"Wedding, looks like" Said Spike, grinning at Gem and Tyler.  
  
The Rev wasn't really ordained, but considering that neither Tyler or Gem were much into church weddings and everyone in the room was wanted by the police and the Visitors, he would do. He had been marrying Resistance fighters for the last four years, ever since the movement began.  
  
An hour later, Tyler and Gem found themselves standing before the Rev, Chris, Marco and twenty biker witnesses. The Rev asked both of them if they really wanted to get hitched and they both said they did. He then said; "By the power vested in my by the fact there is no real law anymore, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
Tyler did.  
  
6.  
  
  
Tyler and Gem spent that afternoon and night in a small house half a mile from the main house. In the morning, they joined a bleary eyed group at the main house. They breakfasted and discussed their plans.  
  
"We need to go back to Chicago." Tyler said.  
  
Gem and Chris nodded their agreement, but Marco looked shocked. "They are looking for you there." He squeaked. "They'll kill you on sight."  
  
Gem snorted. "I know I've had a price on my head for three and a half years now." She said casually. "Ham?"  
  
"Bout the same here." He said and Chris nodded.  
  
"We just won't be seen is all" Gem said.  
  
Marco looked like he thought they were all insane.  
  
"Marco," Gem said. "You don't have to come back with us. This isn't your fight."  
  
"They killed Vincent." He said, his lip trembling.  
  
"I'll get even for both of us, Marco. I swear." Gem said, patting Marco's now trembling hand.  
  
Rose had taken quite a liking to Marco, and gave him her own car so he could drive to San Francisco, where he had relatives. "Hope you don't mind the car being so pink" she said. Marco just beamed at her.  
  
"Will he be alright all on his own?" Rose asked as they watched him drive off after lunch.  
  
"He's no Resistance fighter. Any idiot can see that." Gem replied. "He might get stopped for questioning, but he won't talk. He was with Vincent long enough to know when to keep his mouth shut."  
  
Tyler, Gem and Chris spent the afternoon resting up. They left at dusk in the blue van, laden down with food from Rose and ammunition for their weapons.  
  
As Chris hit the Interstate, he looked over at Tyler, who rode shotgun. "Any regrets?" He asked.  
  
Tyler glanced down at Gem, who had her head on the duffels between the passengers and drivers seats and her feet on a large crate of ammo. "No." he said, confidently. "Not anymore."  
  
  
  
Using the directions provided by Gem, Chris guided the van north into the city. She led him into a very run down area. Chris pulled up to the loading dock of a large warehouse and they all got out.  
  
At the door, Gem knocked once, then again, then twice quickly. The door opened and they were face to face with a teenaged black boy with an M16. Music blared from the open door.  
  
"'Sup." Gem said. "Where Speed at?"  
  
The boy glared daggers at Tyler and Chris. "Speed don't see nobody wit no appointment." He said.  
  
Gem sighed. She slowly took her cell phone from her pocket and dialed a number. "'Sup?" she spoke into the phone. "It's me. I'm at the door. Who dis little punk you got down here? He actin a fool. K. Out." She disconnected, put the phone back in her pocket and folded her arms, glaring at the teenager.  
  
Less than a minute later a large, muscular, scared black man appeared behind the teenager. He slapped him on the back of the head. "Outta the way, fool!" He said. The boy moved and Gem, Tyler and Chris entered.  
  
The large man beamed down at Gem. "Where you been, girl?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he led them towards the back of the warehouse. They saw, while walking through, cars being stripped on one side and people working on weapons on the other. They were led into a back office with five computer terminals lining the walls.  
  
"Emerald!" a deep voice said. "How you doin, girl?"  
  
The voice belonged to a small, beautiful woman in an electric wheelchair. Her hair was in a short Afro and a blanket that seemed to be some sort of African country's flag covered her legs.  
  
"Actually, Speed" Gem said. "I'm needin some help, sistah." She said, bending over to hug the woman.  
  
"Yea?" Gem said, still smiling. "What you got yourself into now?" she looked at Tyler and Chris. "You still hangin with white boys, I see."  
  
"Hey, these my homies, girlfriend. They cool." Gem said. "This is Ham Tyler and Chris Faber."  
  
Speed's eyes widened as she looked at them. "Them those white boys you worked with before the Lizards?" she asked. "Yea," she answered her own question. "Ham Tyler. You told me about him. I remember now." She looked Tyler up and down. "You still trippin?" she asked him.  
  
Ham was just as lost as when Gem was speaking Italian. Gem answered for him. "We was both trippin, for one." She said. "And we worked it out. He my man now. Treat him like it."  
  
Speed stared at Tyler another moment, and then moved her wheelchair in front of him. "You a brother now, white boy." She said, looking up at him and smiling. "Him too, Gem?" she said, tilting her head in the direction of Chris.  
  
"He ain't my man, but he cool." Gem said.  
  
"He look like a fuckin redneck." Speed said, looking disgusted.  
  
"I look fuckin white, what's your point?" Gem retorted.  
  
Speed and the scared man both laughed at this. "True. So true." Speed said.  
  
Gem turned to the man "Tyrone, you still get information?" she asked.  
  
"I can" Tyrone said in a voice even deeper than Tylers.  
  
Gem filled them in on their situation. Speed and Tyrone listened attentively.  
  
"You wanna know who set you up." Tyrone announced.  
  
Gem nodded. "And I want to know where the fucker is."  
  
Tyrone's eyebrows lifted. "You still dangerous, I see."  
  
"Never been more." Gem said without the hint of humor.  
  
Speed spoke. "Them damn Lizards get that shot, they gonna be all over the place. Worse than roaches." She bit her lip. "Let me work on something on my end here. You take care of your little problem and get back to me."  
  
Gem nodded. "I can check back in a couple days."  
  
Speed raised her hand. "You go to my place downtown. I ain't usin it much these days. I just had it stocked. I was gonna hang there a while. Vacation. But something come up and I ain't gonna get to it for another month, at least. Don't want the food goin to waste."  
  
Tyrone fished two sets of keys out of his pocket and tossed Gem one. Take the green Caddy out front. I'll be in touch when I hear something."  
  
"Peace." Gem said and they left. Out front they found a brand new Cadillac. Gem got behind the wheel and started the engine. "Dayum, Tyrone" she muttered to herself.   
  
As she pulled off, Tyler asked "Would you mind translating that conversation into English, please."  
  
Gem laughed. "Tyrone is going to find out who set us up and killed Vincent is all." She said. "Speed has something up her sleeve though. She is a wiz with a computer and might be able to get some information for us on that immunization." She grinned. "You didn't get that?"  
  
Tyler shook his head. "You could hurt yourself switching gears like that. Where'd you learn to talk like that?"  
  
"I hung out here as a kid." Gem told him, as she eased onto Lake Shore Drive. "When in Rome. I talk like an Italian when I'm with the Italians, I talk like a Black when I'm with Blacks. The Blacks always say I sound white, look white, act white, because I'm mixed. Probably because I was actually raised by the Italians, I guess."  
  
They drove into downtown Chicago. Gem pulled into the parking garage of a skyscraper apartment building right on the lake. They rode the elevator up to the 30th floor. And Gem opened the door to 3004.  
  
Apartment 3004 took up the entire east side of the building. The apartment was gigantic. Three full bathrooms and four bedrooms. Gem walked in and headed for the living room. She dropped her duffel on the couch. "I'm starved." She headed into the kitchen.  
  
"Wow?" Chris said, sweeping the place with his eyes.  
  
"Speed is well financed." Gem called from the kitchen. Tyler and Chris found her rummaging through the refrigerator. "She is into everything. Stolen cars, guns, drugs, explosives, whores, you name it. She is hooked into the Collaborators and the Lizards. They shoot themselves in the foot every time they get something from her."  
  
Tyler sat down at the table in the breakfast nook. "Speed is no Collaborator." He said.  
  
"Hell no!" Gem exclaimed. She was at the stove, pots and pans going. She popped some bread in the oven. "She is Resistance, she just doesn't work for them."  
  
Dinner was ready in no time. "We need to stick around here for at least a day or so. Tyrone will have gotten at least a few leads for us." She said, afterward.  
  
They had coffee in the living room while they watched the news. They were no longer headline news. The focus was on a fire, which they said killed ten humans and visitors. There were also reports of random violence on the near south side of the city, where they had just come from. They weren't mentioned once.  
  
They were all tired and slept well that night. The next day they rested. They couldn't plan anything until they had some idea what they were fighting. Tyrone did not call, but showed up around seven o'clock that evening with Speed.  
  
"I found what you were looking for." Tyrone told them. "There's some dude named Tony Mastreoni, or some shit. You know him?"  
  
Gem scowled. "Yea. I know Tony. He was one of Vincent's lieutenants. That's hard to believe."  
  
"He converted." Tyrone said. "Voluntary. Guess he wanted the whole of Vincent's pie, sound like. I hear he saw you and listened in on some conversation Vincent had with some dude named Mario." He looked at Gem, who nodes for him to continue. "He called the cops and told them Vincent was behind it. Dudes not totally stupid. He didn't tell them about you right off. He waited until after the Lizards and cops killed Vincent and everybody in the damn place. Then he stalled em out or something. I think it was he didn't know where you were at. But they found out and you know the rest from there."  
  
"Where is he?" Tyler asked, scowling.  
  
"Ol boy got hisself a promotion." Speed said. "He working at the factory you all were gonna hit next. He doin security for em. We went by there before we came here and the place has more security than anybody."  
  
Gem sank into the couch. "OK, so Tony ratted Vincent out and got himself a big cushy security gig." She mumbled. "And for the Lizards, no less."  
  
"Now here's what you didn't know." Speed said. "Blowin up those buildings put the Lizards behind, but it ain't gonna stop em."  
  
"No shit." Chris growled.  
  
"Man, fuck you." Speed spat. "They have the formula almost all worked out. They have it on their disks on the ship and in that place you didn't get to."  
  
Gem looked at Speed. "What are you saying?"  
  
"I'm sayin, you can stop them without blowing up three city blocks and killin a bunch of innocent people." She said, glaring at Gem. "You always been crazy. All that Italian blood in you. You were fuckin crazy before you ever left Chicago for the army and those crazy ass white folks in the army only made you worse." She threw a venomous look toward Tyler and Chris. "You wouldn't be able to blow the place anyway. It's too big."  
  
Gem sighed. "OK, then. What you thinking, sistah?"  
  
"I'm thinking you need to fuck those lizards up using cunning. You got a shit load of that too. Let them make their fucking pill, but make sure it's your pill they takin. Our pill, actually, since you gonna need me to replace their formula."  
  
Gem looked at Speed for a long moment. Then a cold smile spread across her face. "Ohhhhh, girl. You're good. That's all."  
  
"This is the formula." Speed said, taking a folded printout and handing it to Gem. "I can't make no sense out of it."  
  
Gem unfolded the single sheet of paper and looked it over. "It's mostly natural ingredients. Herbs. All that research and they end up developing a fucking all natural vaccine. Brilliant!" she looked at the faces around her. "Who has a pen?"  
  
Speed produced one and Gem slid her legs under the coffee table and began writing. "Yea." She purred after a few minutes. "I added a couple of things here and took a thing out there. It should work like a charm." She said.  
  
"Di." Tyler said, putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Oh." Gem grinned. "This formula will be used as a vaccine. It will protect them from the Red Dust, making them immune. We'd have to wait for a whole new race of hybrids to come along before we could develop something like the red dust. What I've done is slip a thing or two in here that will not affect the vaccine one whit. The vaccine will work like a charm. For about two months. Then the whole thing will become useless. Lizards will be dropping dead in the street all over the place."  
  
Tyler grinned. They all grinned. "Sneaky" said Speed.  
  
"Not really. They made it really easy. They weren't using any humans for this project, I'll bet. Anyone who knows a lot about herbs could do this." She shrugged. "The sneaky stuff has to come from your end, Speed." Gem said. "You have to replace the old formula with this one. Can you?"  
  
"I got it out. I can replace it. Yea." She said, backing up her wheelchair and headed into her study. "Gimme ten minutes."  
  
"Well, that's done." Tyler said, beaming at his wife.  
  
"Well, for the next couple of months anyway." Gem reminded him. "They'll either finally get frustrated and leave us alone, or they'll just bring in more reinforcements. They're always coming in. Plus some of them will have natural immunity. I don't know what the percentage will be."  
  
"We'll deal with it when it comes, Di." Tyler told her. "We always have, haven't we?"  
  
Gem smiled up at him. She heard the sound of Speed pounding on her keyboard in the next room.  
  
  



	2. Back to L.A.

Juliette Parrish and Mike Donovan sat at a back table in the Club Creole. They sat looking at their hands. They were coping, Donovan thought. He looked at Julie and opened his mouth to speak for the hundredth time. They hadn't spoken to each other in almost a week now. The year had gotten off to a horrible start.  
  
"It wasn't your fault." He finally said, for what seemed like the millionth time.  
  
Julie glanced up. "I called her back. That was my decision." She sighed. "I should have let her stay in Chicago."  
  
Donovan could not say much to this. Julie had made up her mind and once that was done, there was nothing anyone could do to change it. She would feel responsible about the death of Elizabeth Maxwell for the rest of her life.  
  
It was almost one o'clock in the morning. The Club had been closed since that awful raid on the Mother ship. The door opened and Donovan and Julie reacted. They grabbed their weapons and slipped into a shooting posture, arms on the tabletop.  
  
Donovan couldn't believe his eyes. The neon behind the bar lit up the face of one of the four people who had entered the Club Creole in the dead of night. The hard brown eyes looked over at Donovan and Julie. Donovan relaxed for the first time in almost a week.  
  
"Tyler" he breathed his relief.  
  
Ham Tyler looked at Julie then looked Donovan up and down, "Gooder." He said.  
  
Donovan could not see who Tyler had with him, until a thin figure turned on the lights. He then saw that a woman with very light brown skin, he thought he should know, but could not place turned on the lights. He knew the other two people, though. As large as ever stood Chris Faber, Tyler's partner. And ....  
  
"Robin," Julie croaked. She dropped her gun, stood and staggered over to Robin, who met her halfway and took Julie in her arms, where Julie sobbed. "All my fault. I'm so sorry Robin."  
  
Donovan noticed Tyler and the woman he'd brought with him looking at Julie with something like disgust in their eyes. He thought he recognized this woman. He looked at her closely. The most striking things about her were her very long hair, which came down to her knees and her green eyes. Suddenly it hit him. "Gem." He said. "Where the hell did you find her?" he turned to Tyler.  
  
Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Under the same munitions dump I crawled out from under." He said simply.  
  
Gem nodded at Donovan. "Gooder." She said, still not smiling. She looked again at Julie, who was still sobbing on Robins shoulder. "Take her somewhere and get her under control." She told Robin. Robin shot a glare at both Tyler and Gem and led Julie out of the main Café and into a back room.  
  
Donovan could see that Gem hadn't changed much. She was just as hard as she had ever been. More probably. It was a close call as who was harder, Gem or Tyler. Donovan thought of that old saying, 'Hell hath no fury'.  
  
"We came as soon as we heard." Chris said, speaking for the first time. "Robin insisted." He had a touch of sympathy his old buddies lacked.  
  
"Good." Donovan said. "We need you."  
  
"Get some sleep, Gooder." Tyler said. "You look like hell. We'll talk in the morning."  
  
Donovan started to protest, but realized that Tyler was right. He hadn't slept much in the last week. No one had. He turned and headed for his room and slept soundly for the first time since before Elizabeth Maxwell had been killed.  
  
  
  
Donovan woke late in the morning. He showered and dressed and went down into the Café. Caleb Taylor was behind the bar with Willie. Polly and Katie Maxwell sat with their sister and Julie.  
  
Caleb looked up when Donovan approached. "When did Robin get back?" he asked.  
  
"Last night around one." Donovan said. "Tyler and Chris brought her back."  
  
At the mention of Tyler, Willie dropped a glass he'd been polishing. Willie was terrified of Tyler. He would never forget that Tyler wanted to use him to test the original Red Dust on. Willie was one of the few who had not missed the presence of Ham Tyler over the last ten years. He quickly bent and cleaned up the shattered glass, muttering apologies.  
  
"Who is that?" Caleb said, appreciatively. Donovan turned and saw Gem had entered the Café. She looked radiant even though she was dressed simply in blue jeans and a t-shirt, which showed off her curves very nicely, even Donovan had to admit. He thought it was the hair, long and beautiful and down.  
  
Donovan motioned Gem over. "This is Gem." He made introductions. "She arrived last night with Tyler and Chris."  
  
Willie stood and looked nervously at Gem. She looked back; not glaring Donovan was glad to note, but not smiling either. Her face was a mask. She nodded when she was introduced.  
  
"Is she like him?" Willie asked, nervously.  
  
"Pretty much." Came a voice from the direction Gem had come from. Chris entered. He shook Caleb's hand and nodded to Willie.  
  
Willies eyebrows rose and he sighed. He went and sat down at the end of the bar.  
  
"Where's Tyler?" he asked.  
  
"He's on his way." Chris said, and sure enough Tyler walked into the room.  
  
Everyone sat with Polly, Katie, Robin and Julie. Caleb brought coffee, creamer and sugar.  
  
"Better?" Gem asked of Julie. Donovan looked at her sharply. There was the smallest hint of gentle concern in her voice.  
  
"Yes." Julie said, embarrassed at her show of emotion the night before. She was finally getting a good look at Gem. "You must be Gem. Robin told me about you."  
  
Gem looked at Robin with a half smile on her face. "I'll bet she did."  
  
"She told me you're worse than Tyler, here. Crueler." Julie glanced at Tyler. "She says you are all business, like Mr. Tyler. She also said something about you and Tyler being married?"  
  
Donovan and Caleb stared at Tyler. "Married?" Donovan marveled. "What? When?"  
  
Tyler looked at Donovan. "Yes," he said. "I got married. Ten years ago. Don't look so shocked, Gooder. You knew we would." He gave Donovan an amused half grin.  
  
Donovan grinned. "Well, I guess I did, come to think of it." He said. "She's your equal."  
  
"More." Tyler admitted, glancing at Gem. Donovan thought he saw a flash of something like affection there. "Enough about us." He said. "Would someone like to tell us what happened?"  
  
Julie quickly looked into her coffee cup. Donovan told the story. They raided the mother ship, attempting to rescue important political prisoners in danger of Conversion. Four of them went on Diana's ship. Gregory, Diana's chief of security killed Elizabeth and Kyle Bates. Their bodies were burned beyond recognition. And they hadn't freed any of the prisoners.  
  
Julie looked up and turned to face Robin. "I'm so sorry, Robin. Elizabeth insisted on coming along. I shouldn't have let her." Her voice was trembling.  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Julie. I don't blame you." Robin said, soothingly. She'd matured a great deal in Chicago, Donovan thought. Or maybe it was just that she had matured since her daughter died. But then again, it had been ten years.  
  
Gem went into a pouch hanging from the belt at her hip. She removed a small packet and held it out to Caleb. "Brew this for her." She told him.  
  
"What is it?" Caleb asked, eyeing the packet suspiciously.  
  
"Tranquilizer." Gem said.   
  
"I don't need a tranquilizer." Julie spat. "I'll be fine."  
  
"In six months, maybe." Tyler retorted. "Take the tea. If we're ever going to get on with things, you need to calm down."  
  
Donovan gave Caleb a nod, and Caleb left the table and headed for the bar, where he emptied the packet into a cup and poured hot water after it. He stirred the contents and brought it back to the table. Gem took it from him and placed it in front of Julie.  
  
"Take it, Julie." Robin urged. "Gem is no better than Tyler, in most ways, but she knows her herbs. The tea will help you."  
  
Julie took the cup and looked into it. "What is it?" she asked again.  
  
"Lemon Balm and Chamomile." Gem said.  
  
Julie drank. Her insides warmed immediately. Donovan looked at her carefully for a couple of minutes.   
  
Gem turned to Donovan. "What are your plans now?"  
  
"None, right now." He said. "We've been sort of shocky."  
  
"Diana." Tyler growled. He had loathing in his face and murder in his eyes.  
  
"Forget it, Tyler." Donovan said. "Diana is too well protected now. You'll never get to her."  
  
Tyler just glared.  
  
  
  
They moved to The Lab later that day. The Lab was positioned in the hills south and west of LA. Donovan took the opportunity to ride with Tyler, Chris and Gem while Julie rode with the others. Julie was still upset, but she was far better than she had been over the last few weeks.  
  
Donovan looked in the rearview mirror. It had been almost fifteen years since he'd last seen Gem, and ten since he'd last seen Tyler. Tyler had lost more hair. Had another facial scar. Somehow he looked crueler than anyone Donovan had ever seen before. Gem also looked colder, crueler. Her hair was still long and beautiful with the addition of a long gray stripe somehow confined to a couple of inches on the right side of her head.  
  
"How was Chicago?" Donovan asked, attempting conversation.  
  
"Cold." Chris laughed. "I actually missed LA a time or two. But we haven't spent all our time in Chicago, you know. We spent about half that time all across Canada. We were back in Chicago less than a year when Robin contacted us about getting her back here. That's how we found out."  
  
Donovan nodded. "When did the Trio reunite?" he asked, glancing at Gem.  
  
Gem returned the gaze. "They joined me, actually. We met up right after they came to Chicago. You heard about the sabotaged vaccine?"  
  
Donovan had. The Visitors had begun dropping like flies. Plans were being made to pass the vaccine on to the other Resistance fighters when Chicago was isolated. Not every Visitor had been given the vaccine and those who died were quickly replaced. The fighting in Chicago was among the worse seen anywhere since the Visitors had landed.  
  
Gem continued. "We were sent to Canada a few years after that and moved all around the country, helping out. It seems we are on their international most wanted list now. Have been for quite some time." She grinned.  
  
"I heard about that. There is quite a bounty on your heads." Donovan said.  
  
"Regular king's ransom." Tyler said. "We kept moving between Canada and the Midwest. We got back to Chicago just after Elizabeth left, aparently." He frowned.  
  
"Julie didn't want her to come along. She insisted." Donovan said, defensively.  
  
"I'm surprised Julie is still alive." Tyler said in a low growl. "And on this side."  
  
"Don't start, Tyler." Donovan warned.  
  
"Gooder." Gem said. "There have been all manner of interesting reports out of this area about your leader." She said.   
  
"Julie is fine. She's led us for fourteen years now."  
  
Gem nodded. "We'll see." She said. "I haven't been impressed so far though. I know, I know," she said quickly "Poor dear has had a bad time of it lately." She shook her head.  
  
Donovan drove the rest of the way in silence.  
  
  
  
Donovan awoke with Julie beside him. He tried to get out of bed without waking Julie, but she stirred, opened her eyes, smiled and said "Mornin', what time is it?"  
  
It was past nine o'clock. They slept quite late, for a change. They showered and dressed and headed for the dining hall where they got a cup of coffee and then walked towards the workout room in the same building, where a crowd of people was gathered in the doorway. They made their way through the crowd and into the room, where they found Caleb, Willie and Chris off to the side watching Tyler and Gem, fascinated.  
  
"What the hell?" Donovan said.  
  
"Can you believe this?" Caleb said, watching. "They've been at it for half an hour now." He shook his head. "That's some woman. He's giving it to her like she was a grown man and she's taking it and giving it right back to him."  
  
Tyler and Gem were in a fight. Donovan returned his attention to them just in time to see Gem kick Tyler, not once, but twice in the side of the head, knocking him down. He threw his legs around and caught her legs, bringing her around. They both quickly found their legs and Tyler caught his wife in the middle with a punch that forced her back onto a weight bench. She bent her knees and gave him both her feet in his own gut. Tyler remained on his feet, fists ready. Gem swung at him, but Tyler caught her arm and whipped her over his shoulder where he mounted her back and put her in a full nelson.  
  
"She'll never get out of that" Caleb said.  
  
"You have to stop him!" Julie said, looking at Chris.  
  
"They know what their doing." Chris said, keeping his eyes on Tyler and Gem.   
  
Gem threw her head back and Tyler was knocked backward. She rolled away, found her feet and delivered an uppercut to the jaw, followed by a kick to the jaw, followed by another punch.  
  
Willie was looking wide-eyed. Caleb had his eyebrows raised. Gem backed off and stood ready. Tyler looked at her a moment. He gave her half a grin. "OK, OK." He said. He straightened up and said, loudly enough to be heard outside the room "Shows over folks." And the two of them walked over to Chris.  
  
"Lovers' spat?" Donovan said, grinning.  
  
"We do this all the time, Gooder." Tyler said, out of breath.  
  
"You didn't think we were serious?" Gem asked, looking amused.  
  
"It sure looked serious to me." Julie said.  
  
Gem actually laughed. "No." She said. "If we'd been serious, one of us would be dead now. We just needed a little workout."  
  
Julie, Donovan, Caleb and Willie all looked astonished. Gem kept smiling. "What's breakfast and where's coffee?" she asked, as she Tyler and Chris headed for the dining hall.  
  
Donovan watched them walk towards the dining hall. He watched people watch them. They all stared, mostly at Gem. She was wearing black jeans and boots and an army green t-shirt. She was strong, but you couldn't tell from looking at her. She had, Donovan noticed, a great figure; small waist, nice chest, nice ass. Feminine. You would never know, looking at her that she was capable of giving Ham Tyler his money's worth in a fight.  
  
They both got coffee. They were about to sit when Julie said, suddenly. "Let's all walk." Tyler and Gem exchanged looks and looked at Julie, who simply turned and walked out of the building.  
  
Julie led Donovan, Tyler and Gem toward a place that overlooked a great valley. They could just see LA and the mother ship above it.  
  
"What did you do before the Visitors came?" She asked Gem, with no preamble.  
  
Gem raised her eyebrows. "I worked with Tyler and Chris." She said, simply.  
  
Julie looked impatient. "I know that, but I hear you are more than the explosives expert they are. What was your part?"  
  
Gem was so silent for so long, Julie thought she was not going to answer. But Gem said, "I also poison people. Lizards and collaborators, mostly." Julie noted the emphasis on 'mostly'.  
  
"Where is this going, Julie?" Tyler demanded.  
  
Julie glared at him. "We need to capture Diana." She said, looking at Gem. "I hear you're good at kidnapping people, among other things. Think you can do it?"  
  
Gem was looking amused. "I can do it." she said, simply.  
  
"Can you capture her without killing her?" Julie asked, causing Donovan to look at her as if she had lost her mind.  
  
"I can." Gem said, expressionlessly. "I don't know why you would want that, but yes, I can do it." she grinned. "There is a single problem with it, though."  
  
"Oh?" Julie asked.  
  
"Killing Diana would take myself and perhaps one or two other's I know in the area to help." Gem explained. "Capturing Diana? That's more complicated. Might require an armed assault."  
  
"Diana has a wealth of information we can use. We must have her alive." Julie said, ignoring Donovan's look and Tyler's glare.  
  
Gem snorted. "Ten years ago you had Diana and she escaped. You got a better way of containing her this time?"  
  
Julie tightened her jaw. "You get her and I will guarantee she not escape this time."  
  
Gem looked at Tyler. They stared at each other for quite some time before Gem spoke. "I'll find out when Diana will be on Earth again and I'll get a team together to collect her."  
  
"We have Fifth Column that can tell us when she'll be on the ground again." Julie snapped.  
  
"Whatever. Just get me the information as soon as you can. In the mean time, I'll use my own sources. I have no faith in yours." Gem said.  
  
Julie turned and stomped off. Gem turned to Donovan. "You keep a close eye on her when Diana is here. I'll bet you anything Diana can still control her. I don't care how many years it's been."  
  
  
  
  
  
Julie sent for Gem three days later. Gem walked into the conference room, flanked by Tyler and Chris. Her hair was unbraided, flowing to her knees. Julie felt a surge of something she thought might be jealousy looking at this beautiful and deadly woman. She squashed it and spoke. "Diana is giving a speech at the main Visitor Headquarters in two days."  
  
Donovan walked in the door with Polly. They carried several rolled up pieces of paper. They walked to a long table in the middle of the room and laid the pieces on it. Julie noted how Donovan looked at Gem. I can't allow myself to get jealous, she isn't a threat, Julie told herself.  
  
"This is the floor plan of the Visitor's HQ." Donovan said, unrolling the pieces of papers, revealing the blueprints.  
  
Gem moved to one side of Donovan while Tyler took the other. Julie stood on the other side of Gem. "The speech will be given here." Donovan pointed to a third floor balcony.  
  
"She'll never give a speech." Gem said, pulling out the first floor plans. "Where will her craft land? What route will she take into the building? Where are the guards going to be?"  
  
Julie began telling Gem what her Fifth Column contact had told her. Gem never took her eyes off of the floor plans.  
  
"Six guards surrounding her." Gem said, nodding. "Tell me who will be stationed where on balconies and roof."  
  
Julie gave the information, irritated by the tone of Gem's voice.  
  
Gem stared at the map. "OK, I'll need Ham, Chris, and Donovan." She looked sideways at Donovan.  
  
Julie sputtered. "I should go too." She said angrily.  
  
Gem looked at her, eyebrows raised. "No." Gem said, emotionlessly. "I don't trust you. I don't want you on this. You aren't coming."  
  
"How can you not trust her?" Donovan said, looking at Gem with annoyance in his eyes, Julie was relieved to note. "You wouldn't even know what your dealing with if it weren't for the information Julie just gave you."  
  
Tyler waved a hand dismissively. "We got our information last night."  
  
Gem glared at Julie. "Most of this information is useless to us, in any event."  
  
Julie glared. "You son of a bitch." She breathed. "I thought you at least would trust me."  
  
Tyler shrugged. "I didn't when I left ten years ago. I don't now." He said. "I used my own sources."  
  
"Still not a team player, Tyler?" Donovan asked, a touch of anger in his voice now.  
  
"I have never worked against you." Tyler said. "I work with my own team. That was Chris the last time we were together, Donovan. Now it's Chris and Gem."  
  
"You want Diana alive and well and you'll get her alive and well." Gem said, making eye contact with Donovan. "If not, we'll go and kill her." Her eyes shifted to Julie. "In any event, Chris, Tyler and I will be leaving this comfy little camp tomorrow night. You decide if we'll have Diana." She straightened up and walked straight to Julie, their faces almost touching. "Your information is either phony or from a lousy source. I don't trust your Fifth Column contact and I don't trust you." She said in a very low voice.  
  
Julie made to hit Gem. Gem caught her hand and threw her over the table. She flew across the table, picked Julie up and punched her in the jaw.  
  
Donovan ran to stop the fight and was restrained by Tyler and Chris.  
  
"Let me go, goddammit!" Donovan roared. He was ignored.  
  
Gem threw Julie backwards onto the table and from nowhere produced a knife, which she put to Julie's throat. "Don't ever try to hit me again." Gem said, quite mildly. She backed off of Julie and stood straight, putting the knife away behind her curtain of long hair. "Why did you give us incomplete information?" she asked, glaring down at Julie.  
  
Tyler and Chris let go of Donovan. He straightened his shirt, but Julie noticed he did not come to her side. She pulled herself into a sitting position on the table. "I gave you all the information I had." She said, defiantly.  
  
"Lying to me is a very unhealthy thing to do." Gem said, eyes locked on Julie.  
  
Julie tightened her jaw. "I'm not lying." She said. "The Fifth Column contact I use is usually very reliable. He must have lied to me."  
  
Donovan looked on, beginning to get a very uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He tried to brush it away, but it held. He looked sidelong, first at Chris and then at Tyler. He could read nothing from their faces and cursed them inwardly.  
  
Gem looked just plain dangerous for a moment, then she relaxed visibly. "OK, Julie. I'll believe you this one time. It won't affect our plan anyway." She turned and walked to Donovan. "We are leaving here tomorrow, just before sunset." She said to him so they could all hear her. She put both hands on his shoulders and leaned into him, placing her mouth near his ear as if to whisper something to him, but no words came. She leaned back, nodded to Chris and Tyler and they left the room.  
  
"What a bitch!" Julie spat, once they were alone. She waited for Donovan to speak, but for the longest time he just stood there looking at the place where Gem had disappeared. When he finally turned to look at her, she saw doubt in his eyes. "You don't believe her, do you?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"I've known Gem for a long time." Donovan replied, very slowly. "She has," he paused, searching for words. "I've never known her to be wrong before." He finished lamely.  
  
Julie glared daggers at Donovan. "You'd rather believe that little bitch than me?" she spat, the poison in her voice making Donovan step backwards. "I have been with you, by your side all these years." She stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What's going on, Mike?" she finally asked. "You have never doubted me before. Suddenly Gem shows up and it's like I don't know you anymore?" Her eyes narrowed. "Is there something I should know?" she asked.  
  
Donovan raised his eyebrows, feeling anger rising. Now was not the time for another fight between them, but he spoke anyway. "You know how I feel about you." He paused and stepped closer to Julie. "There is no reason to be jealous of Gem."  
  
Julie's eyes absolutely flared. "I'm not jealous of her!" she lied, knowing both of them knew it. "All I know is you trusted me until she came along. What happened to change that?" she demanded. "What makes you trust someone you haven't seen in God knows how long over me?"  
  
Donovan sighed, struggled with words, but they failed him. He just shook his head and sighed. He couldn't explain. He turned and walked from the room. Julie neither spoke, nor came after him. She spent that night in her own quarters.  
  
  
  
  
Around two o'clock the next afternoon Ham Tyler stopped him on his way from the conference room, where he was hoping to see Julie. He hadn't seen her all day and was beginning to worry.  
  
"She left early this morning." Tyler said, without preamble.  
  
"What? Where?" Donovan demanded.  
  
Tyler just stared at Donovan and made clear his thoughts. Tyler believed Julie had turned traitor.  
  
"No!" Donovan said, shaking his head.  
  
"We know she left this morning and was picked up about ten miles from here in a Squad Vehicle." Tyler said simply. They began to walk.  
  
"You were having her watched?" Donovan said incredulously.  
  
Tyler opened a door for Donovan and they left the building. "Of course." He said simply. They turned and began walking away toward several parked vehicles. "Don't start, Donovan." He said, causing Donovan to close his mouth on the words he was about to speak. They walked over to a large passenger van, where Tyler opened the side door and told Donovan, "Get in and we'll explain everything."  
  
Donovan peered into the van and saw Chris behind the wheel and Gem in the back seat. The rear most seat had been removed. Robin, Polly, Katie, Caleb, Maggie Blodgett and Willie were all seated on crates on the floor. Donovan looked over his shoulder at Tyler a moment, and then got into the van without a word. Tyler got in the passenger seat and Chris started the van and started driving.  
  
They drove in silence for about half an hour before Donovan finally said "Tyler, what the hell is this all about?"  
  
Tyler turned around and looked at Donovan. He seemed to be considering the question very carefully. Finally he spoke. "We were notified while we were in Canada to return to Chicago about a week before that botched raid Julie planned. We were told to take Robin back to L.A. and stop the raid, anyway we could. Elizabeth was not to go on that raid and it was our assignment to stop her."  
  
Donovan's jaw dropped. "You told me you left as soon as you heard about Elizabeth."  
  
Chris looked at Donovan through the rearview window. "I lied." We found out the raid happened sooner about halfway here."  
  
Gem looked at Donovan. "Julie changed the time of the raid, didn't she?"  
  
Donovan looked at Gem as if never seeing her before. He didn't speak for a long minute before he finally sighed and said "Yes." He ran his fingers through his hair and added, "She said her contact said there had been a change of plans on the Mother Ship and we would have to go immediately. Elizabeth must have overheard us, because she immediately barged in and demanded to join us."  
  
Gem nodded. "Elizabeth was somehow tempted to go on the raid with Julie. There were no hostages on the Mother Ship at the time in question."  
  
Caleb spoke angrily. "How do you know that?"  
  
Gem looked back at him. "We have very good sources of our own." She said without elaborating.  
  
"Julie's not converted." Donovan said with confidence he didn't really feel. "She's been with us for fifteen years now. It's just not possible."  
  
Tyler looked at Donovan. "Julie's been, at best, half converted for over ten years now." He said. "You know it and so does everyone else here. Don't tell me you forgot what happened on the raid on the Mother Ship when we dispersed the Red Dust."  
  
Donovan said nothing. Everyone in the van was silent again, lost in his or her own thoughts.  
  
"I hate to say it, Mike," Caleb began. "Tyler might actually be right this time. He may have been right way back then. All those bad luck raids over the years."  
  
Donovan said nothing, just shook his head. He remembered all the bad luck raids. How many people had died? Julie couldn't have been responsible, could she? He found himself second-guessing everything that had happened since Julie came from the conversion chamber all those years ago. He remembered the Mother Ship when Julie had allowed Diana to get away. It was impossible to tell whether Julie just let Diana get the jump on her or whether Diana was controlling Julie. He lowered his head into his hand. He heard one of the women in the back crying. Polly? She had grown closer and closer to Julie over the years as she grew into a very good fighter. The doubts being raised would devastate the young woman.  
  
They continued along in silence once again. Donovan looked out of the window to see that they seemed to be driving away from Los Angeles, not into it, as he had assumed. Before he could ask, Katie spoke his thoughts.  
  
"Where are we going?" She asked, quietly.  
  
"Desert." Chris answered.  
  
"The desert?" Caleb said. "Why?"  
  
Tyler turned around in his seat to face those in the back. "Have you noticed that you are the last surviving members of the L.A. Resistance that released the Red Dust?"  
  
Caleb gaped at him, then looked around at the group in the van.  
  
Katie said, "Oh my God, he's right!"  
  
Robin said, "Are you saying there is some sort of a plot to kill all the original Resistance Fighters?"  
  
Tyler nodded. "We think she was going to insist upon going on this raid to kidnap Diana so she could be there to make sure there was at least one other death. She probably set it up so that all of us would be walking into a trap."  
  
Donovan felt his head shaking denial when Gem asked him, "Who did Julie have in mind for this kidnapping party?"  
  
Donovan thought a moment, and then stared openmouthed at Gem. "The only people she'd planned on having come were the people in this van." He said quietly, completely deflated.  
  
The uproar in the van was almost deafening. Through the din could be heard snippets of "No!" and "You have to be kidding" from the last of the original L.A. Resistance Team.  
  
Chris, Gem and Tyler remained silent until the din died down. Robin was next to speak. "Why did you all come back with me? It's not just because I needed an escort, is it?"  
  
"We came back to find out who the leak in the L.A. Resistance was and take care of the problem." Gem said.  
  
"'Take care of the problem'" Robin said, incredulously. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Gem did not reply. Polly spoke instead. "They are here to kill Julie. Probably Diana, too." She said quietly.  
  
Another din of exclamations broke out. Caleb made himself heard above the others. "You can't do that to Julie."  
  
Tyler looked Caleb right in the face. "We are here to remove the threat to the L.A. Resistance movement. That threat is Juliette Parish working with Diana and they will both be neutralized."  
  
Donovan looked at Tyler. "God damn you, Tyler." He said, still sounding defeated. "You have never trusted Julie. You aren't one of us. Let us handle Julie."  
  
Tyler shook his head. "No." he said simply.  
  
Chris looked again into the rearview mirror. "All due respect, Donovan, but you are all too close to this whole mess. Best let us handle the problem."  
  
Donovan just shook his head. He was suddenly too tired to argue. They drove until past sunset, deep into the Arizona desert. It was full dark when they finally stopped at a large group of tents. Two men and a woman met them.  
  
Donovan, Robin, Polly, Katie, Caleb, Maggie and Willie were led to two tents along the edge of the encampment where another man stood guard, armed with some sort of automatic weapon unidentifiable in the dark.  
  
"These are your hosts this evening." Gem said grimly. She began nodding to the armed people around them. "Fred and George" she indicated identical twin men, so blond they're hair seemed to be lighting the area. "Ren" she nodded to a flaming redhead with a full beard, even in the heat of the Arizona night. "Lavender" she nodded to a woman so black she seemed to melt into the darkness even as the blondes lit it. All four nodded their introductions. "If you need anything, just ask and they will see to it."  
  
The ladies were led into one tent and the men into another. Their four guards surrounded the two tents. There was little talk as everyone fell asleep, fully dressed, exhausted by the trip and the information they were trying to absorb.  
  
  
  
  
They were not awakened until late into the next afternoon. They were given desert camouflage and then their guards led them to a largish tent, which seemed to be a mess and meeting tent. Here they were served large filling meals and made very comfortable. They discussed very little about what they learned the night before, they all still seemed in shock. They were able to see more of where they were, however. The camp comprised of about fifteen tents, the one they were in being the largest, followed by another directly across the camp from it. The other tents were roomy enough for four people to call home. The mess tent was filling up little by little, but the entrants did not stare at the newcomers. It seemed like just another day.  
  
  
Two men walked in spotted the group and walked over to join them. They looked very serious. They spoke to their guards, who nodded slowly, then the two newcomers, joined the others in breakfast. Donovan asked, "Now what?"  
  
Ren looked at Donovan a moment before replying. "We have found out where Julie is. She's with Diana and they are hiding out in the mountains, heavily guarded."  
  
Caleb looked the redhead up and down. "The man asked, 'Now what?'" he said, seriously.  
  
"A group has gone into those mountains to take care of the problem." Fred, or George, said.  
  
"Tyler?" Polly asked quietly.  
  
"He was one of them, yes." Lavender answered. "He, Diamond, Chris and seven others."   
  
One of the blonde twins relaxed his posture a little. "Listen," he said. "Why don't you folks just try and relax. I know it won't be easy. You've had a pretty hard time of it."  
  
Lavender also seemed to relax. "You are free to move around the camp. You are not prisoners here. But a guard will be placed on you at night."  
  
Their four guards took one last look at their charges and walked off, getting their own meals. They returned and sat with them. "I guess we're sort of a welcoming committee now." Fred, or George said.  
  
Polly was looking at the your twin men with fascination. "How do you tell you apart?" she asked.  
  
The twins smiled identical mischievous smiles. "Most people just ask." One of them said. "People say I'm the more serious twin, if that helps any." He took some coffee. "I'm George."  
  
Fred spoke then. "Others just wait until mealtimes. I don't drink coffee." He laughed with them all as he dunked his tea bag repeatedly.  
  
Lavender spoke up. "George has the scar, as you can see." She pointed at a very small scar along the Georges jaw line. "Other than that, there is no way to tell, far as I can tell. Only a few people can tell the difference, and they are the twins themselves, Ham and Diamond."  
  
"Who is Diamond?" Maggie asked, willing to participate in small talk to get her mind off of things.  
  
"You know her as Gem." Ren said, grinning.  
  
"I forgot that was her real name." Donovan said, also willing to allow his mind an escape.  
  
"Not many people know that." Lavender said. "The four of us are probably as close to those three as anyone. That's why we were chosen to guard you your first night here."  
  
Over their early dinner, they learned that their four companions had, at different times, worked along side Chris, Gem and Tyler.  
  
"We knew them before they got married. Way before." Ren said, grinning and nodding to Fred and George.  
  
"I don't believe Tyler got married. It's just too," Caleb was struggling for the words.  
  
George laughed. "Just seems to impossible?" he asked and laughed harder at the nod Caleb gave him. That was enough to break the tension between the groups and for a long time all they did was laugh.  
  
George and Fred exchanged looks. "Oh what the hell!" Fred exclaimed. "Worse they'll do is kill us." And he nodded towards his brother.  
  
"We've known them the longest." Said George. "Met Mister Clarence Hamilton Tyler just after they sent him down to South America to put that Special Team together. We were also part of that team, which split into two parts once all the training was completed. Me and Fred and Ren went one way and Chris and Tyler and Gem went another."  
  
Lavender had apparently heard this story before, because she was already chuckling into her coffee. The rest of them leaned forward, the remnants of their meal forgotten.  
  
"Ham Tyler had a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas when we first met. This was just after the incident with his wife and daughter. He was closed up tight and didn't intend to let anyone in. That's why we were all selected for this particular Team. We weren't people to get overly emotionally involved, but the rest of us were just plain chipper compared to Tyler and then Gem." Fred continued.  
  
"Gem hadn't even managed to finish Boot Camp when she was plucked by the CIA and sent to us. At first, Tyler couldn't stand her because she was a woman, girl really, she had to be young to be fresh out of Boot, right?" George continued. "Tyler drove her like a rented horse from day one! Within three months he would have treated the rented horse like a thoroughbred, he was on her so hard. But Gem is a tough cookie!! She took everything he gave her and returned it with at least as much." He looked around the table. "You've seen those sparring matches they get into?" When everyone nodded, he said. "Those are playtimes compared to what they went through during the formation of our team! Between the two of them, they broke a dozen ribs and dislocated half a dozen shoulders. And still fought like a couple of half starved pit bulls!"  
  
Ren picked up the story here. "He started calling her Di, which pissed her off more than a wet cat. She retaliated by calling him Clarence." Ren had a heavy southern accent. "For a while there I thought they were just going to do us all a favor and kill each other. Then he found out her real age. And he went straight to the Higher Ups with it, thinking he finally had her out of his unit and off his team. Then word came down that the CIA knew exactly how old Gem was and it didn't make a bit of difference to them. He was so enraged, not even Gem dared to approach him. We all just sat back and waited for the storm to pass."  
  
"How old was she?" Willie asked, forgetting himself and speaking for the first time, betraying his race to these strangers. However they did not even flinch.  
  
"She had just had her sixteenth birthday when Tyler found out." Fred said, picking up the story again. "Nobody else on the team could really understand why Tyler hated Gem so much. He'd been sixteen when he'd joined up, so it couldn't have been that. Chris and I knew though." He grinned into his cup of tea. "My brother and his friend just don't have the poets hearts Chris and I do." He said, ducking the swats that came from both his brother and Ren. He looked at Maggie a moment before continuing. She had half a smile on her lips.  
  
"Anyway, Chris and I were able to see beyond the thrown punches and kicks and told everybody that it was obvious that those two had the big time hots for each other. More than that, they were falling big time in love with each other. I think that they were fighting they're developing feelings for each other more than they were fighting each other."  
  
George took up the story again. "Well, it made some sense, after you thought about it a bit. The two most closed people of the whole six of us were Tyler and Gem. Tyler was feeling all guilty because his wife and baby had died in that church and here was Gem, a woman who would never allow that to happen to her or her kid. A woman who was the exact opposite of his wife and he admired her for her nerve and her strength, inner and outer. The admiration I could see, but it never occurred to me he was falling for her."  
  
Ren said. "Gem was a tough kid from the streets of Chicago. Half Black and half Italian and grew up in both worlds. Her mother abandoned her when she was born. Couldn't handle having a mixed kid is my guess. Rose up by the Italian side of her family. She spent a lot of time between Little Italy and the Black neighborhoods, but she felt most at home in Little Italy, because she was more accepted with her light skin and green eyes. Rival mobsters shot down her father when she was really still a little girl. She told me all about it all them times I wrapped her ribs and relocated her shoulders. I was the team medic, see." He grinned into his now empty cup of coffee. "Funny, I suppose we should have hated each other more because she is a Yankee and I'm a good ol Southern boy. But that's not what happened at all."   
  
"It was a solid year of training before we finally got some R&R." Fred began. "Me, George, Chris and Ren had a bet going on. Me and Chris said they'd be lovers before R&R was over. Ren and George said they'd kill each other in the streets of Rio or something. They finally accepted their fate and I made five hundred dollars!" he whooped, slapping his brother on the arm.  
  
"They were very professional about it, but they didn't try to hide their relationship from us for very long." George said. "We were one big happy family and you can't hide that stuff from family." He looked up to see that Lavender had gone for more coffee and she refilled everyone's cup, except for Fred's, he was given more hot water.  
  
"Once they became lovers they became one well oiled machine." Ren said, admiration thick in his voice. "They seemed to know each others thoughts. It was almost as weird as Fred and George, the way those two were. I'm not one to believe in Heaven and all that mess, but if there ever was a match made in Heaven, they had it." He sipped more coffee. "We split into teams and Chris stayed with them. Just before the Lizards landed, Gem got transferred to Chicago. No one knows why, but neither of them fought the transfer. Chris and Tyler are a great team, don't get me wrong, but they are almost clumsy compared to the team Tyler and Gem make, if you know what I mean." He watched the nodding heads at the table. "Anyway, their team got split, the lizards landed, all hell broke loose and we sort of lost track of each other. We heard about the mess in Chicago and it had Gem's name written all over it. She knew her chemicals. If anyone could cause the mayhem that happened in Chicago, it was her. I had been able to catch up with the Doublemint Twins here and we all headed out for Chicago. We found Chris, Tyler and Gem all there, like they had never split their team. And on top of all of it, Tyler and Gem had finally seen reason and gotten married. The six of us were back together, traveling all over the upper US and Canada and then we get this call about all this mess." He stopped here a moment. "The rest, you know." He finished.  
  
The story had succeeded in taking their minds off of Julie, but like all stories, it ended and reality came crashing in on them.  
  
Maggie heaved a heavy sigh. "I wonder what's happening." She said, quietly.  
  
  
  
  
Chris, Tyler and Gem had stopped long enough to hand their charges over to their guards, grab some coffee and a small meal, and change into black camouflage before they were back in the jeep leading a convoy of four similar jeeps loaded with the supplies they needed and headed right back to California. Tyler drove this time, having slept plenty on the drive into the desert, allowing Chris and Gem to sleep. Chris was out immediately, but Gem took time to braid her long hair and tuck away her assorted carbide weapons into the long, thick braid. When she finished, she turned to her husband. They looked at each other for a long time before she nodded grimly, getting the answer to her unspoken question and was asleep within two minutes.  
  
Tyler drove silently almost the entire way. He wasn't nervous, or anxious. Simply determined. He woke Gem with a hundred miles remaining and they switched places without stopping the jeep. Tyler slept until his wife woke him when they'd come within ten miles of their destination. The ten of them hid their vehicles and opened the crates of ammunition they brought with them. Pistols and rifles. Silencers. Crossbows. Enough ammunition to do the job three times over. They went over their plan one last time before they split up in pairs and began working themselves into a position so the ten of them would be surrounding the mountain retreat.  
  
  
The sun had fallen by the time they were all in position. Tyler and Gem were, of course, working as a team. Gem was up a tree and Tyler was secured behind it. Their strategy was a very simple one. Annihilate everything. There were two squad vehicles sitting in front of a large, two-story log cabin with a single door in the front of the house. Regardless, people were positioned to guard the back of the house. The were in position less then five minutes when the squad vehicles exploded within fifteen seconds of each other.  
  
The first of the guards came running out to see what happened. Six of them were picked off immediately. Two returned inside, likely to save their lives and report they were under attack. Gem, using the telescopic sight on her crossbow, set a flaming bolt into the hand of the Visitor attempting to turn on the radio to call for backup. A simply broad point went into the head of the next person she sighted on, a Brownshirt.  
  
The Desert Team began closing in on the log cabin. Gem dropped to the ground once Tyler and three others appeared in the clearing, shooting out windows with pistols and killing at least four other Visitors and/or Brownshirts before they hit the steps.  
  
Shots behind the house told Gem a hail of bullets was keeping someone inside. She sprinted up the steps and into the house, pistol ready. Five people, all from her team, were inside the house. The first floor was being cleared. There was no basement. They headed up the stairs. There was a door at the head of the stairs that was wide opened. They cleared the room, and then took cover in it. Directly in front of them was another door, the only one that was closed. The team of five cleared all the open rooms while working their way towards the closed door. The silence was deafening. That the shots behind the house had ceased, told the team that the only people remaining in the house had retreated to the front upstairs' room.  
  
Unintelligible talk came from this room as they approached the door. Suddenly the door splintered inward as a body fell backwards, stumbled and fell, dead, over the banister and cracked it's neck on the stairs below.  
  
"Come on out, Diana." Tyler said, not yelling, but loud enough to be heard.  
  
A cold, cruel laughed answered. "Mister Tyler. Is that you?" Diana's voice sounded quite pleased. "You've made quite a mess of my house, haven't you?" she said, her laughter fading away. "I'll have to take it out of your hide, so to speak."  
  
Tyler was on the right side of the now splintered door with two men behind him. Gem was on the right side, where the hinges were, with one man. Gem knelt, leaned carefully into the door, took careful aim and shot the first piece of fabric she saw, and then pulled herself back. She heard a male screaming.  
  
Gem looked over at Tyler. They stared into each others eyes for almost thirty seconds before they both nodded and took deep breaths. Tyler quickly threw himself into he room, taking quick and accurate aim and shot Diana in the shoulder of the arm holding her laser pistol. At the same time, Gem shot Julie in the sternum, throwing Julie backward, through the closed window. She quickly located Tyler and Diana then she located the leg she'd shot. It was attached to a young man who was writhing on the bed, his laser pistol out of his reach on the floor. She went and picked it up anyway and tossed it to the first man that entered the room after her, a brunette with blue eyes named Sam. He caught it and took it from the room. Tyler, Diana, Gem and the young Brownshirt were alone.  
  
"You are a lucky man, Mister Tyler." Diana purred, breathing a little heavier than usual. "You managed to capture myself, Miss Parrish and the poor hapless Sean Donovan all in one fell swoop."  
  
Tyler started, just barely. He tightened his jaw. "We haven't captured anyone, Diana." He said with a deadly calm voice.  
  
Diana looked surprised. "You've caught us fair and square, Mister Tyler." She stammered.  
  
Gem stepped forward and took the pistol Tyler handed straight back to her. He advanced on Diana, a half smile on his lips. "I have waited a long time for this day, Diana." He said.  
  
He backed Diana into a corner, grabbed her shoulder and swung her around. He placed his left hand on the top of her head and his right hand under her chin and twisted her neck until it snapped.  
  
He slowly turned until he was facing the Brownshirt on the bed. "Yes." He hissed. "Sean Donovan. It's been a long time, boy."  
  
Sean squirmed on the bed, thinking fast. "Thank God you found me!" he squealed. "I've been trying to get away for years and years, but Diana would never let me out of her sight!" He said, looking directly at Tyler.  
  
Tyler shook his head. "You never wanted to get away, Sean." He said, softly.  
  
Sean reached behind his back and slowly brought out a pistol. He held it non-threateningly. "See, I mean you no harm. I just want to go home. Back to my father." He cried, although no tears came from his eyes. He looked at Gem, pleading. "Please. Take me back to my father."  
  
Gem looked at Tyler, who looked back. He made to take the gun from Sean when it was suddenly pointed at his heart. "Don't move." He hissed.  
  
Tyler spit out a short laugh. "You never were too bright, were you, Sean?" he whispered, as Sean suddenly realized that Gem had her pistol in his ear.  
  
Sean twitched. Gem pulled the trigger and blew Sean Donovan's head off.  
  
  
  
Back on the ground floor, Tyler and Gem made sure Juliette Parish was, in fact, dead, before they carried her back into the log cabin along with the rest of the bodies. They wired the place from top to bottom and set a timer. They were just getting into their jeeps ten miles away when the place blew up and began burning out of control. By the time they returned to the desert camp, the fire and just begun to die out.  
  
  
  
  
The Desert Team that went into the California Mountains after Diana slept the clock almost. They emerged the next afternoon, ate the first solid meal they'd had in days, showered, shaved and went on with life as usual. Tyler, Chris and Gem, went to the last original members of the Los Angeles, who had been congregated in the mess tent by their four guardians.  
  
Fred, George, Lavender and Ren all stood at the four corners of the table while Chris told the story. Silence descended for many long minutes as the story was told and absorbed.  
  
Donovan cleared his throat. He opened his mouth to say more, but closed it again, got up and left the tent. George made to go after him, but stopped at a hand motion from Gem.  
  
Mike Donovan went for a long walk in the late afternoon desert. The weather was mild, even for January. He walked for hours, heading back only when it was almost too dark to see. By the time he returned to the camp, it was full dark and the camp seemed to be settling in. The tents where he and the ladies were staying was lit up. He saw figures he knew to be his friends and their guards/companions, but did not enter the tents. Instead he kept walking until he found the tent he as looking for. They'd been given a tour and he knew he was in the right place. This tent was also lit and he stood outside it for a moment before he heard a voice inside say. "Come in, Mike."  
  
He bent slightly to enter the tent, but could stand at his full height once inside. Gem and Tyler were sitting at a folding table in the middle of the tent, drinking some steaming liquid from a thermos. Gem poured one for Donovan and he sat and accepted the offered cup. The tea was some sort of herbal blend. Sort of like lemons and apples and mint all mixed together. He drained the cup and put it down. Gem filled it again.  
  
"My own blend." She said quietly. "Chamomile, Lemon Balm and Spearmint."  
  
Silence fell. After a long pause, Tyler said, gentler than usual. "We can't apologize, Gooder."  
  
Donovan signed and raised his hand. "I know, Tyler." He said, and then took a long drink of the tea. It was relaxing and invigorating at the same time. "There really isn't anything to apologize for. You were right. The whole time. The rest of us were blinded somehow. Probably by love of Julie. We couldn't see." He sighed again and looked into his cup. After a moment he looked at the couple sitting with him. "I came here to tell you that. You most likely saved all of our lives. We owe you."  
  
Both Tyler and Gem were shaking their heads. "It sounds cliché," Gem said, "but we really were just doing our job."  
  
Donovan laughed. The tension eased some more. They finished off the tea, and spent the rest of the evening talking about everything else.  



End file.
